Bavuma: ‘I’m good enough’
SA ’ s white-ball captain looks to the New Zealand series to notch up his second Test ton
● Temba Bavuma has refuted suggestions that he is not good enough for Test cricket and is eyeing the two-match series against New Zealand in Christchurch to notch up his overdue second ton.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Sunday Times this week, the Proteas white ball captain and Test vice-captain openly spoke about taking criticism on the chin for his perceived inability to add to his one century.
After 47 Test matches since he debuted against the West Indies in Port Elizabeth during the summer of 2014, the 31-year-old middle-order batter has crossed the triple figure mark only once.
That century came in 2016 against England at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town and he is going all out to repeat that milestone in the unfamiliar conditions of the Hagley Oval when the first Test starts on Thursday.
Bavuma’s Test statistics make for interesting reading as he scored his only hundred in his seventh match in 2016.
Since 2016, he has played 40 more Tests with the highest score an unbeaten 95 against Australia at the Wanderers in 2018, where he ran out of partners.
It is also worth noting that he has scored sixteen half-centuries since 2016.
“From a Test cricket point of view, I know the criticism has been about my inability to convert starts and add to my sole hundred,” he said.
“I think that is probably valid from their point of view, I can sit here and give various reasons as to why that is the situation — but criticism from that point of view, I can accept.
“What I can’t accept is people saying I am not good enough to play for my country, I don’t think that is a fair statement for people to make.”
In ODIs, Bavuma has two centuries after 16 matches and he is happy with his return in that format.
“Within the ODI stuff, there I am not too sure what the negative talk is about because I have had a good start to my career. I got the opportunity to captain my country while I was still new even though I had played a bit for the Lions.”
During the recent series against India, Bavuma said his target was to get his second hundred and he was disappointed after a contribution of 221 runs in six innings and a highest score of 52.
“Scoring a hundred did play a bit on my mind before the series against India. I never set goals but that is a goal that I set for myself going into the India series to try and get to that three-figure mark.
“My one disappointment from the India series is that I wasn’t able to do that, but I take a lot of comfort from the fact that we were still able to win the series.
“At the end of the day, as a batter people will look at your statistics, people will look at the number of hundreds you scored and they will come to a conclusion as to what type of player you were.
“People don’t always look at how you went about scoring your runs and that is something that I always find myself in. Looking as a batting unit over the last couple of years, I think that’s been an issue among all our batters, guys not scoring enough hundreds for the team.”
Bavuma will keep on working to get to his second century and next on his menu is New Zealand, who have capable fast bowlers such as Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Trent Boult.
“Scoring big hundreds is something that we have been lacking as a batting unit. You will probably count the hundreds we have scored over the last four to five years with your hand. “For me personally, scoring my second hundred is something that is there, if it happens it will happen. It has happened in the ODIs and that shows that I can convert my fifties into big scores. “New Zealand is not going to be easy, especially in their conditions. We have to adapt as quickly as we can because their conditions are different from what we have in SA. “Speaking more specifically with the batting, a lot of guys have not played in New Zealand. So having the younger guys acclimatise is going to be important. We take confidence and momentum from the India series, but the most important thing becomes how well we are going to play in their conditions.”
● Changing a winning team, one that beat the highest ranking side in the world at that, has to be performed with a great deal of bravery or belief — or both.
SA’s come-from-behind Test series win over India was impressive for many reasons and the generally accepted thinking would be to keep those who helped secure it in the winner’s circle.
The Proteas have, however, embarked on their tour of New Zealand with an enlarged bubble which contains players who have stated their case with chest-thumping conviction in the domestic four-day competition.
In wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Rickelton and offspinner Simon Harmer they have players in red-hot form, but whose task is made difficult by a Proteas squad well lit in most areas.
Search for constant improvement
If, however, you accept that seeking constant improvement is one of professional sport’s most basic tenets, then the Proteas, despite their recent series win, would do well to interrogate the areas where they did not perform very convincingly.
After four Tests, Kyle Verreynne, despite vast amounts of obvious talent, is yet to set the Test stage ablaze. In his five innings he amassed just 60 runs. Ironically, he may have had time to shine in SA’s successful run chases at the Wanderers and Newlands but the top order got the job done.
Coach Mark Boucher, himself a former wicketkeeper-batsman of some repute, knows the virtues of exercising patience with Test newbies. He scored three half-centuries in his first 22 Test knocks and averaged 20 under Bob Woolmer.
The argument that Verreynne should get a fair crack is well founded but the case Rickelton has built with the bat is hard to dismiss. He averages 112 from his last seven first-class innings which includes four tons.
Harmer impresses on return
Rickelton will not be considered for a position higher up the order as Sarel Erwee and to a lesser degree Zubayr Hamza are in the running to fill the spot left vacant by Keegan Petersen.
The rest of the top six, however, should not be considered a closed shop. Aiden Markram’s 80 runs from his last eight Test innings is a betrayal of his talent.
Harmer, despite his form and incumbent spinner Keshav Maharaj failing to turn on the charm against India, has a long shot at playing in New Zealand.
Harmer is back in the squad after a Test hiatus that stretches back to 2015. Harmer later signed a Kolpak deal with Essex which precluded his selection for the national team.
He helped turn Essex into a champion side again and though exemplary performance in foreign leagues is not a currency in which the Proteas selectors deal, Harmer made sure he impressed upon his return. He is the second-highest wicket-taker in the domestic four-day competition.
Spinners seemingly superfluous
The Hagley Oval in Christchurch, where both Tests will be played, is a seamer-friendly “result” wicket which has smiled on the hosts since they played the first of their nine Tests there in 2014.
Australia are the only team to have beaten the Black Caps there. The fact that spin has very little impact on proceedings at the ground is perhaps best illuminated by the fact that Australia’s Nathan Lyon is the spinner that ranks highest among the wickettakers at that ground. His three-wicket haul places him 21st on the list. Equally revealing is the fact that Kane Williamson’s very occasional right-arm offbreaks has made him the highest ranking slow bowling Kiwi at Hagley Oval.
That is perhaps so in part because New Zealand have not bothered selecting a recognised spinner in their last three Tests there. The Proteas may follow suit.